We evaluated the meningeal
lymphatics using 3D black blood T1 imaging and its association with clinical
parameters as well as enlarged perivascular spaces. This retrospective study
included 24 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced
3D black blood T1 imaging on 3T brain MRI and assessed their meningeal
lymphatics located parallel to the superior sagittal sinuses. The group with
higher meningeal lymphatics volume more frequently have diabetes than the lower group, which is one of the major vascular
as well as cognitive risk factors. Furthermore, the higher group had a significantly
higher score of enlarged perivascular space in centrum semovale, which is not surprising when considering its close anatomical
and functional relationships within the glymphatic
system. Therefore, we suggest that the expanded meningeal lymphatics may be an
imaging marker of poor function of glymphatics
but further studies with disease conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease should
be followed to clarify the exact meaning of the volume of the meningeal
lymphatics.
